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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UIC chapter.

Ever since I was little, my family has done an advent calendar. We usually buy the 24-day chocolate ones, but the advent/12-days of Christmas game has changed. Now, there are sock advent calendars, lipstick, skin-care, DIY, and many more. Today, I will show you some of the coolest and most unique ones out there.

NYX Professional Makeup Lippie Countdown Advent Calendar

ULTA & NYX $65.00 

Photo Courtesy of Priceline Pharmacy

I bought this calendar this year, on Black Friday, for $16.

24-day Christmas Countdown

It includes:

  • 3 Butter Glosses
  • 3 Butter Lipsticks
  • 2 Intense Butter Glosses
  • 4 Lip Lingerie Liquid Lipsticks
  • 3 Liquid Suede Cream Lipsticks
  • 4 Matte Lipsticks
  • 3 Soft Matte Lip Creams
  • 1 Simple Red Lip Cream
  • 1 Simple Vamp Lip Cream. 

This calendar comes with a wide variety of colors and types of lipsticks. I think this is perfect for those that don’t wear lipstick as often, looking for a new shade or looking for a new type of lipstick. From what I have read and personal experiences, the Lip Lingerie tubes are separated and come out chunky, but remember that is only 4 out of the 24 lipsticks.

You can pick this up at Ulta or NYX’s website.

ULTA 12 Days of Beauty

ULTA $18.00

Photo Courtesy of Musing of a Muse

12-day Christmas countdown

It contains:

  • Tinted Glossy Balm
  • Duo Chrome Illuminator
  • Glitter Tears Eyeliner
  • Matte Lip Cream
  • Bouncy Blush
  • Gel Bounce Eyeshadow
  • Eyeliner & Shadow Crayon
  • Clear Brow Gel
  • Brow Pencil
  • Face & Body Glitter
  • Face & Body Gems
  • Metallic Lip Gloss

This calendar contains all ULTA products. This seems to be something that ULTA puts out each year. It has a good variety of contents with enough to create a complete look.  This seems like the perfect gift for someone just starting to use makeup or looking to create a small travel makeup set. This also gives buyers a small look at the quality of ULTA’s make-up line.

You can only get this at ULTA.

Christmas Countdown Activity Advent Calendar

Crayola & Target $19.99

Photo Courtesy of Crayola

24-day Christmas Countdown

It contains:

  • 2 Model Magic Ornaments
  • 3 Finger Puppets
  • 3 Paper Ornaments
  • 1 1-Dimensional Gingerbread House
  • 1 Christmas Tree
  • 1 Gift Box
  • 17 Holiday Coloring Projects

This one is great for little kids. Crayola created a calendar with a different activity each day. These activities seem like a great way for kids to start or end their days. I am disappointed with the fact that 17 of the 24 are “Holiday Coloring Projects” which simply put are small coloring sheets. It also appears as colors, markers, and crayons are not included.

You can pick this up at Target of Crayola’s Website.

Lush 12 Days of Christmas

Lush $114.95

Photo Courtesy of Lush

12-day Christmas Countdown

It contains:

  • 4 Bath Bombs
  • 1 Luxury Bath Oil
  • 1 Bubble Bar
  • 2 Shower Gels
  • 1 Body Conditioner
  • 1 Hand and Body Lotion
  • 2 Hard Soaps

This is on the pricier side for advent calendars. When totaling all of the items, in this set, it comes to $109, but we have to take into considerations the box itself is labeled a “reusable hat box.” The risk of this calendar is everyone prefers their own scents, making it risky to buy as a gift. All items in this box are also stand-alone items and can be tested and smelled at the Lush store. I recommend going to the store for this one instead of online shopping. I think that when taken into consideration Lushes all natural, animal cruelty-free, and the amount of product $114.95 seems worth it if you have the money.

You can pick this up at Lush’s Website.

Hi! My name is Elizabeth Wenzel and go by Lizzie. I am a student at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), class of 2021. I recently switched majors from Accounting to Biological Science. A BioS major is one of the many majors that can be taken as Pre Vet-Med. I hope to pursue my masters and PhD for Vet Med at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. I found a passion for writing in high school and haven't stopped. Currently I do not a narrow topic I wish to write about but I hope through writing for HerCampusUIC I find the topics I really enjoy writing about,
UIC Contributor.